This article lists and describes some of the equipment seen on an emergency trolley in a Hospital or Nursing Home.

Hospitals and Nursing Homes are always ready to deal with most emergencies. They are prepared for these of emergencies all the time and often have very refined and elaborate procedures to deal with these situations. One of the ways to deal with such a situation is by having all the emergency equipment needed to save a life ready at al times. This is done by having the Emergency Trolley ready at all times. It is checked each shift by a Registered Nurse or a duly qualified person. The equipment on each trolley is geared to the needs of that environment and is approved by the Departments of Nursing and the Medical Officer. All Nursing staff and Doctors are specially trained to handle emergencies. If you are a nurse or paramedical professional, it would be helpful to read article one which was published earlier.

The emergency trolley is equipped to deal with most emergencies in a hospital but not all. As a rule, in most hospitals, items which are not stocked on the emergency are usually available at short notice from within the department or specialized area.

All emergency trolleys are equipped with at least one stethoscope. Stethoscopes are of different types. In a pediatric unit, a pediatric stethoscope will be found on the emergency trolley. On general wards, an adult stethoscope will be found on the emergency trolley. A stethoscope is used to listen to lung / chest or heart, and abdominal sounds. It is also used when doing a patient’s blood pressure using a cuff and manometer. The ICU patient may not require this because most ICU patients are hooked up to the arterial system of measuring blood pressure.

One of the items which are always available on an emergency trolley is the Artery forceps. This is an instrument resembling a pair of pincers or tongs, used for grasping, manipulating, or extracting, especially such an instrument used by a surgeon. In the emergency situation it is sometimes used to hold a bleeding point until it is sutured or used as a mini pliers to undo joints. At other times it is used to clamp IV lines quickly.

A pair of Mcgill’s forceps is always found on an emergency trolley. Mcgill foreceps, closely resemble the artery forceps but are funny shaped to facilitate placing the ET tube into the trachea. It is a very specialized instrument and is always needed. When you check the emergency trolley and the Mcgill’s forceps is not there please insure that immediate steps are taken to insure that it is replaced stat.